Internal-combustion engine.



F. a. HENRY-:2 1 r INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLHZATXON FILED MARJG, I915.

Qlnfi mint 5. Rummy lmhwssv F. G. HENRY.

INTERNAL CUMBUSHON ENGlNE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 16, 1915.

Patented J an. 15, 1918.

5 "BHEETS'BHEET 2.

F. c. HENRY. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATIQN FILED MAR L6, 1915' Patented Jan. 15 1918.

I'Hihmssus F. G. HENRY.

INIERNAL COMBUSTION ENGWE.

APPLICATION men mm. L6, m5,

Patented Jan.

s snnmvanm 4.

m ihws a :5

Atinrm F. G. HENRY.

INTERNAL comausnou' ENGINE.

APPLLQATIQN FILED MAR\1.6| 1.91.5

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Patented Jan. 15

3 wil 1 I I milihwssrs FERDINAND G. HENRY, OF" YORK, 11, Y.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION Enema;

Specification airmen r cent.

Patented Jan. 15-, 1918.

Application filed March 16, 1816. Serial No. 14,865. d

To all whom it may concemi Be it known that I, FERDINAND G. HENRY,

a citizen of'the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal- Combustion Engines; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to'which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and has for an object to rovide an engine-embodying the features 0 a turbine engine and an oscillating engine operating upon the same driven shaft and from the same motive fluid.

A further-object of the invention is to provide "a plurality of cylinders having oscillators mounted therein and-means for igniting a gaseous mixturewithin such qyL inders to oscillate the oscillators and wltb means for'conducting the exploded gases from'such; cylinders into and to act'upon a turbine structure of substantially the usual and ordinary t pe'.

A further ob ectof the invention is to provide a plurality of cylinders having oscillators mounted therein and means for igniting a gaseous fuel within such cylinders bemg mounted upon an integral or connected structure and to rotate bodily about the central shaftso' that said cylinders, rotating rapidly through the atmosphere are coole by contact'with such" atmosphere. v

A further object'of the invention is to provide improved means for controlling the ignition of'the gases within the several cylinders as" exigencies of operationfmay make necessary or desirable. 1

" A'further object offthe invention is to provide improved means for carrying-into effect theseveral hereinbeforerecited ob,-,

' jects;

I invention comprises' 'certain novel c0nstruc- {With these andother objects in -view the tio'iis, combinations ,and arrangement of parts'a'sqwill beliereinafter morefully do plane exce indicated.

scribed and claimed;

the drawings t fre l-s a viewof the en 'ne taken generally upon a longitudinal iametrical pt whe e Fig. 3 is a view taken one" lure 8-8 of Fig. land showing the position line of theengine.

1 slsts of avbodyj 1 and front and reanhea lanes are clearly c'lie ia i.

in end-elevation with one of the cylind;g" transverse section as indicated by li of Fig. 1. o l

planes, each of the several cyhnde eating the structuretaken on a lane instance plane 3, 3, 3., and 3 0 Fig Fig.4 1s a view of the engine in en elevation as indicated byjarrow {at Fi 1;

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of t e passage forming communication between ,the' exhaust from-the oscillating engine torthe turbine engine. v

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on line of Fig. 5;,

7 Fig. 7 is a sectionalview taken on line 7 -7 of Fig. 5.

1 8 1s a sectionalxview taken onflline of Fig; 6." I at,

Figs. 9 to 13 inclusive are diagrammatic views shov'vingthe several positions'ofrthe oscillators during one complete revolution Like characters of, reference, designate- 8!) corresponding parts throughout the severalviews. v

. The improved engine which forms the subject matter'of this ap lication comprises aninner and relatively xed structure and an outer and relatively] rotary structure. The fixed structure, as more particularly explained below andas perhaps \bestseen in Fig. 1, includesfaj shaft 40 and its sleeve 41, a disk 42 at its front end, a wristpihAB .90, projecting forward from the disk and out-off alinernent'with said shaft, "a stationary part 44 inclosing the'wrist pin, and the-framed 5 and at the rear of the engine the flxedstrue tureincludes ithe stationary part 44:;ande51 the inner wall 35 0 1 the turb ne, both carried by the frame "(5. The'rotary structure" Thefront head includes a 2, a, forward of the disk, and a "jdj journaled "upon' the stationajy1 p while the rear head includesja' (ii the shell 6 of a turbine. The body; rotary structureisitself made 11'' q rality of similargcylindeislO -o proved number, here shown asffio posed between and secured the rotary structure preferabl casting 'inte rel, although lthe unitir g isw p the acking.

ithin the cylinders 10 stationary abutments 17 are erected a ainst or adjacent to which the oscillator b ades move in their oscillation upon the shaft 11.

The cylinder heads are provided with ports 18 and 19 which, as will be noted especially from Fi 9 to 13 inclusive, comn'nmieate with t e cylinders between the abutments 17 and the oscillators 16 and upon opposite side of such abutments and oscillators. 'ItLwill be noted' that whatever the position of the oscillator but one of the ports 18 'or 19 communicates with the space between the abutment and the oscillator, the cylinder being divided by the abutment and the oscillator into four chambers varying in size as the oscillator moves.

'At '3" at Fig. 3 will be seen one of the c 1- inder heads and at 3 the valve 20 whlch rotates in engagement with such cylinder head, the said valve being shown also in side elevation and diamctrical section at Fig. 1. The valve rotates about a sleeve 21 which sleeve embraces the inlet passage 22 and is piovided with cut-out portions 23 which communicate with ports 24 spaced to register with the orts 18 in the cylinder head and to form t e inlets of the cylinders upon opposite sides ofthe oscillators simultaneoilsly. Such cut outs 23 also communicate at other times with the ports 25 which are spaced to register. with the ports 19 to form inlet ports for the opposite sides of the os cillators. I

The valve 20 is also provided with ports 26 likewise spaced to register with the ports 18 of the cylinder head and other ports 27 spaced to registerv with the ports 19 of the cylinder head and to act as exhaust ports,

boththe said ports 26 and 27 communicating with the passage 28 which opens sage 34,

through a nozzle 29 into the shell 6 of the turbine 30, exhaust from such turbine beinginto the annular chamber 31 and out- .through the exhaust passage 32. The explosivegases are introduced to the passage 22 throu h'thepigie 33 into an annular pas- 5'16 pipe 3 being carried in the stationary part 44 :and the annular passage ,34 surrounding the 'ower shaft'36;

To actuate'the va yes 20 the said valves are provided with gears 87 which engage ity of spark p intermediate idlers 38, the latter in turn on gagin a pinion 39 carried u on the stationary s aft 40 which exten s through the sleeve 41 and is rigidly connected with the stationary disk 42. The shaft 40 is mounted at one end in onehead of the rotarystructure, and at the opposite end the other head thereof rotates about the stationary disk 42, ball-bearings 48 being provided for that purpose. h

tubular wrist pin 48 which extends through the stationary part 44 of the structure with a shaft 45 Ipassing through such hollow wrist-pin. he wrist-pin 43 serves to connect the rotating part with the stationary part by a plurality of links 46 pivoted thereto and in turn pivoted to cranks 47 rigidly secured upon the shafts 1'1 and oscillatin'g with the oscillators 16. As the oscillators are oscillated by the explosion of the gases within their respective chambers in the cylinders it will be apparent that the tendency is to communicate the motion to to I tate the disk 42 but as the disk 42 is held stationary against rotation by the wristpin 43 extending throu h the stationary member 44 the result is is ie rotation. of the vciylinders themselves carrying the oscillators t erewith and the valve structures sothat thegears 37 receive motion by' traveling in planetary order about the pinion 39.

Antifriction bearings 48 are provided at proper points to permit the outer structure to rotate about the fixed parts of the inner structure and packing is provided at various points for the purpose of preventing leakage of the gases, all in the usual and well e disk 42 is provided with a known manner. Power is taken off from the I device from the shaft 36 or if desired by applying a belt directly to the surface of the drum 3. p 7 I The chambers upon the op osite sides of the oscillators within the cy indcrs are in communication by means of passages 50 and 51 which extend through the sleeves 14 and through the shafts 11. Explosion is provided in the cylinders by means ofa pluralin each cylinder as indicated at Fig. 2. The spark plugs are connected with a source of electrical energy-shown at Fig. 2 conventionally at 545. ancLby rings 55 surrounding reduced portions of the valve 20 as shown more particularly at the lower half of Fig. 1. The "rings 55 are provided with gears '56 which engageidlers 57.mounted eo-axially with'the idlers 38 which latter enga e' a pinion 58 carried rigidl upon the seeve 41.

,Theslceve 41 is rigi ly'connected with the gear 59 which is en aged b a p-inion60 carried upon the sha 45 w ich in turn carries the lever 61: It will be applarent that by moving the lever 61 through c medium of the shaft-45, pinion 60, gear 59, sleeve 11, gear 58 and- 1dle'rs' 57 the gears 56 carrytags 52 and 53, preferably four i Fig.

to of the engine, finally exhausting through the mined intervals engage one of the ing the rings may have their relation to thegears 37 changed. Therings 55 carry each a knob 62 positioned to at fpredeterngers 63 or 64 uponthe levers 65 or 6.6. -The levers 65 andfifi respectively carry switches 67 and 68adapted to complete the circuit from the source of energy 54 respectively to the spark plugs 53 and 52. As the ring 55 rotates therefore, the knob 62 alternately the completion of the circuit to the plugs53 and 52 to cause sparks in their respective chamhers to ignite the aseous contents therein. The movement of the ring 55 relative to the valve 20, therefore, advances or retards the spark in the usual well known manner and for theusual well known reason.

In operation an explosive mixture is in troduced through thepipe 33 and passage 34 to the inlet passages 22 Where it passes through one of the passages 24 and ports 18 into the cylinder in the position, shown. at Fig. 9f The rotation of the engine causes the oscillator to move to the position shown at Fig. .10 thereby drawingin a charge of gas through the ports 18. At this point the valve 20 in its continued rotation closes ports, 18 and the reverse niovement of the oscillator compresses the gas in the space as shown at Fig. 11. Coincidentally' the valve 20 has-moved so that the passages 27 register with the'ports 19 and gas is admitted through the ports 19 as the oscillator moves to compression position as shown at Fig. 11 so that as shown at Fig. 11 upon one sideof the oscillator is a compressed charge of gas and upon the opposite side a charge of gas just introduced. The compressed charge of gas is now ignited and the oscillator is moved y the explosion to the position shown at 12 and thereby compressing the charge of gas admitted through the ports 19. This charge of gas compressed as shown at Fig. 12 is now ignited which causes the oscillator to move in the'opposite direction andthe valve 20 has moved through the passage 26 that the vitiated gases are exhausted through the ports 18 and passages 26 and 28 through the nozzle 29 into the turbine part of the posture. ilfhesecond return of the oscillator likewise exhausts the vitiated gases through the ports 19 also into the passage 28 and. through the nozzle 29 into the turbine. It will he noted, especially from Fig. 1 that the formation of the turbine increases in diameter and also in capacity as it recedes from the nozzles 29 so. that the expansive forces of thegases thus exhausted are taken advantage of in operating the turbine part chamber 31;and passage 82 without-emce tionable noise.

he' rotation of the-engine itself iiithc at; mosphere causes a ,or Vin-communication with the ports 18 so rapid cooling oi the cyliii 'ders which are exposed upon all sides to the any other form of manual or mechanical means for applying powerthereto; The) shaftalso carries an arm 71havinga gravity detent 72 secured thereto which engages a ratchet 7 3 formed in the rotating part. The detent 7 2 is provided with a weight 74'which when in the positionshown at Fig; 4. causes the detent 72 to engage the ratchetso that a rotation of the crank 7 O in the direction in'- dicated b the arrow serves'to rotate the engine; A ter starting the' engine with'the crank substantially vertical the weight 74 causes the detent '72 to leave engagement with the ratchet 73 thereby ofl'ering no impedance to the operation of thecngine. The whole device is supported in any approved manner asupon the frame 7 5 which in Fig. 2 is shown only in section and the shape of which forms no part of the present invention.

I claim:

'1. In an internal combustion engine, a plurality of cylinders mounted as a unitary structure rotating about a. common axis in parallelism with the axes of the'cylinde'rs; oscillators mounted to oscillate within the cylinders; means to connect-the oscillators with a stationary part to convert the os'cil lating-motion into a rotary motion of the unitary structure; valves mounted to rotate relative to the cylinders to control the inlet and exhaust of gases to and from'the' cylinders; igniting elements inserted in the cylinders; rings mounted to rotate normallysynchronously with the valves; means carried by the-rings for exciting the igniting elements; gears carried by the valves and mugs; and a manually operated controlling gear meshing with the gears of the rin 2. In an internal. com u'stionengine, a plurality of parallel, symmetrically arranged cylindcrs mounted 'as a unitary structure, rotating about a common axis; moving parts within the cylinders and stationary means connected thereto; a valve' for each cylinder controlling the inlet andexhaust of motive fluid to and from the cylindcrs, and a turbine rotating with said rotat-ing structure and receivingmotive fluid from the exhausts and through said valves.- 3. In an internal combustion enginega plurality of cylinders mounted to rotate a's af unitary structure about a "common axis;

oscillators mounted to oscillate within ithe not cylinders, means tointroducdexplode" and a exhau axis, cranks on the shafts of the oscillators, and links connecting the cranks with said wrist pin.

4. In an internal combustion engine, a plurality of cylinders mounted as a unitary rotary structure; oscillators journaled upon the major axes of the cylinders individually; valves rotating upon the axes of the cylinders to control the inlet and exhaust of gases to and from the cylinders; igniting elements in the cylinders; rings rotating normally in unison with the valves; means carried by the rings for energizing the igniting elements and means to manually advance and retar the energizing action of the rings.

5. In an internal combustion engine, a plurality of cylinders mounted as a unitary rotary structure; oscillators journaled upon the major axes of the cylinders individually; valves rotating upon ders and adapted to control the inlet and exhaust of ases to and front the cylinders; igniting e ements introduced into the cylinders; rings rotating normally in unison with the valves; means carried by the rings for energizing the igniting elements; and means to manually advance and retard the rings relative to the valves.

6. In an internal combustion engine, a plurality of cylinders mounted as a unitary structure rotating about a common axis; moving parts mounted within the cylinders; valves disposed inoperative relation to the cylinders and rotating therewith and with an independent planetary movement; rings normally rotating synchronously with the valves; and manual means for advancing and retarding the rings relative to the valves.

7. In an internal combustion engine, a plurality of cylinders mounted as a unitary structure rotating about a common axis in parallelism with the axes of the cylinders; oscillators mounted to oscillate within the cylinders; means to connect the oscillators with a stationary part to convert the oscillat ing motion into a rotary motion of the unitary structure; valves mounted to rotate rel- V p tions between sa1d oscillators and the s x:

the cylinders disposed atone end thereof and ative to the cylinders and to control the inlet and exhaust of gases to and from the cylinders; gears carried by the valves; a stationary gear controlling the rotation of the valve ears; igniting elements inserted in the cylinders; rings mounted to rotate normally synchronously with the valves; means carried by the rings for exciting the igniting elements; gears carried by the rin s; and a stationary gear manually operate controlling the gears of the rings.

8. In-an internal combustion engine,

a plurality of cylindersmounted as a unitary structure rotating about a common axis in' parallelism withthe major axes of the cylin- :.1er:-;; moving parts mounted with-iii the cylinders; valves controllmg the inlet and exthe axes of the cylinhaust of motive fluid to and from the cylinders, said valves embodying passages forming communication at times between the inlet .and the c linders and, other passa es forming at ot 1er times communication etween the cylinders and the exhaust; and a turbine rotating with said rotary structure and receiving motive fluid from the exhausts.

9. A rotary internal combustion comprising a stationary structure, a series of connected cylinders disposed symmetrically annularly about and arall'el with the axis of said'structure, oscillating pistons in each of said cylinders and connected to said structure, valve mechanism in a. common planeat one end of the cylinders, and a turbine connected to said cylinders and adjacent the valve mechanism and adapted to receive exhaust gases therefrom.

10. A stationary support forming a bearing, a group of parallel cylinders symmetrically and concentrically arranged and mounted upon said support to rotate about the axis of the bearing, oscillators in said cylinders flexibly connected to said support, valve mechanism rotative about said support, and a turbine co-axial alinement and on the discharge side of the valve mecl .iism. v 11; In a rotary engine of the internal combustion type, a supporting structure forming a stationary journal or bearing, aplurality of parallel, symmetrically arranged and concentrically disposed cylinders mounted upon the bearing and rotative about the axis thereof, oscillators in the cylinders, connections between said oscillators and the stationary bearing, and a valve for each of the cylinders disposed at one end thereof and designed to control the admission of a gaseous fuel and the exhaust of the vitiated gases.

12. Ina rotary engine of the internal com bustion type, a supporting structure forming a stationary journal or hearing, a plurality of parallel, symmetrically arranged and ecntionary bearing, and a-valve for each of.

designed to control the admission of a gas eous fuel and the exhaust ofthe vitiated. gases, said valves being provided with plats etary gears and adapted for relatively rota tive motion to said journal structure.

13. In an internalv combustion engine of the rotary type, a stationary structure formin" a journal or bearing, a plurality of cylin ers disposed parallel with and concentric to the axis of the bearing, symmetrically arranged with relation to each other and forming a unitary rotary structure, oscillators mounted in each of the cylinders, means at one and of the rotating structure for conengine haust of fuel. and gases to and from the cylinders.

14. In. an internal combustion engine of the rotary type, a relatively stationary beariug structure, a rotary structure mountedv thereon and comprising an annular series of concentric, symmetrically arranged and arallel cylinders disposed about the axis 0 the bearing structure, a turbine head connected to one end of the parallel. cylinders, means for controllin the flow of exhaust gases from the cylin ers to said turbine head, and oscillators mounted Within said cylinders and connected to a non-rotative portion of the bearing structure at the opposite end of the cylinders.

15. A rotary internal combustion engine, comprising an annular series of symmetri cally arranged and arallel cylinders, a nonrota bearing, osci lators within the cylinders aving means projecting from a common end of the cylinders for connection to a portion of the stationary bearing, a housing for the said connectin of rotary valves, one %or each of said cylilfi ders at the opposite end thereof to the said connecting mechanism. 16. A rotary internal combustion engine, comprising an annular series of symmetrically arranged and parallel c linders, a nonrotary bearing, oscillators Within the cylinders having means projecting from a com-f mon end of the cylinders for connection to a portion of the stationary bearing, a housmechanism, and a set.

ing for the said connecting mechanism, a. set

of rotary valves, one for each of said cylin-, ders at the opposite end thereof to the said connecting mechanism, and a turbine ineluding a housing or shell ortion connected" to the ends of said cylin ers and substantially inclosing the valve mechanism.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

FERDINAND o. HENRY.

Witnesses: i

D. H, Human, Goo. C. Mam. 

